


observing, noticing, wondering

by delsalami



Category: Newsies!: the Musical - Fierstein/Menken
Genre: First Kiss, Getting Together, M/M, Misunderstandings, Mutual Pining, Pining, Post-Canon, katherine is not present or even mentioned, make of that what you will
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-10
Updated: 2020-06-10
Packaged: 2021-03-04 02:15:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,081
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24635950
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/delsalami/pseuds/delsalami
Summary: David didn't think he quite fit in with the rest of the newsboys. There were a few reasons, like the fact that he still thought of himself as David, and his slightly better-off upbringing. But the most notable reason was the way Jack Kelly treated him compared to everyone else.
Relationships: David Jacobs/Jack Kelly
Comments: 4
Kudos: 112





	observing, noticing, wondering

David didn't think he quite fit in with the rest of the newsboys. He knew they all thought of him as one of them, of course. He'd proven that he cared about them and they obviously cared about him as well. But they were different. There were a few things that set them apart, at least in David's mind. 

The first of these things being that he still couldn't quite bring himself to think of himself as Davey. He'd been David and nothing else for seventeen years. His mom still called him David and he was certainly not about to ask her to call him Davey. When he introduced himself to other newsies, he had to remind himself that to them, he was Davey, not David. 

The second thing was that David didn't talk the same as everyone else. He wasn't accustomed to all of their shorthand and slang and thick accents. Of course, Les fit right in, because he was a kid and kids were adaptable, and Les had always copied the people he admired anyway, but the Jacobs had grown up so very differently than the other newsies. David had completed eleven years of schooling and said things like 'auspicious'. He didn't feel the need to shorten 'papers' to 'papes', but he did it anyway, because he didn't need his comparatively faint accent to stand out even more. 

Third, and finally, Jack Kelly. Jack acted differently around David than he did with all the other newsies. It was subtle, but it was there, and David was certain that all the others could see it too. The first time David remarked the other newsies giggling about Jack and David standing next to each other, he started observing Jack more closely.

David observed Jack as he helped Crutchie up the ladder to the roof, and he observed Jack as he ruffled Crutchie's hair and said, "Of course, you's my brother," when Crutchie thanked him. 

David observed Jack as he took Race's cigar from Albert under the guise of helping Albert play keep-away, and he observed Jack as he squeezed Race's shoulders before returning the cigar. David observed Jack as he scolded Albert fondly, and as he taught Race evasion strategies. 

David observed Jack as he listened to Romeo talk about the girl he met on the street even after everyone else had groaned and turned away, and as he entertained Finch while they waited for the day's headline, and as he gave advice to JoJo. And David observed Jack as he didn't do these things with David. It was nearly imperceptible, but David noticed how Jack hesitated slightly before throwing his arm around David's shoulders. David noticed that Jack would sometimes get a bit too close to his face, before taking a half-step backward. David noticed how Jack looked at him with an expression he couldn't quite understand. 

He wondered if Jack saw those first two things too. He wondered if Jack noticed the split-second delay before he said "Davey", he wondered if Jack heard David's fancy words and his proper grammar, and he wondered if these things made Jack feel like David didn't quite belong among the rest of the newsies, too. He wondered if that hesitation before Jack touched him was because he didn't quite feel comfortable doing it. He wondered if the little invasions of David's space were intended as an intimidation tactic. He wondered if that indecipherable look was one of contempt. 

So David continued to exist alongside the rest of the newsies, right on the edge of their circle, because he was too unsure to ask someone to let him in and too timid to push through. 

\--- --- ---

Until the day that David decided to do something about it. He couldn't change the fact that he was used to being David and not Davey, and he couldn't change his accent or narrow his vocabulary, but Jack? He could do something about Jack. He was done with feeling othered, he was done with having Jack seem to tread on eggshells around him. He would rather know why Jack acted the way he did, and be certain that he hated him, than keep living with the uncertainty. So, after selling his unsold papers back to Wiesel, he asked Race and Albert to keep Les occupied for a bit. 

"Jack, can I talk to you for a moment?" David requested, wiping his slightly sweaty palms on his trousers. 

"Sure, Davey," Jack said, approaching David. He stood much closer than was necessary, and a little closer than was comfortable for David. But David wasn't intimidated, no matter what Jack was trying to do, because Jack was several inches shorter than he was. (Never mind that he was also stronger and better built. David was not intimidated.)

"What's your problem with me?" David asked. 

Jack frowned, and took that all-too-familiar step back. "I don't got a problem with you," Jack said confusedly. 

"You treat me different than everyone else. Don't think I haven't noticed."

Jack's frown deepened. "I don't..." He took another step backward. "I dunno what you're talkin' about."

"With every other newsie, you touch them real affectionately, but with me, you hesitate. You always act like you're trying to be intimidating, and you look at me funny," David told Jack.

"I act like I'm tryin' to be intimidating?" Jack snorted. 

"Yeah, you always..." David squared his shoulders and puffed out his chest, in that overconfident way that Jack stood, then he squatted so that he was several inches shorter than Jack, who rolled his eyes. David took a step forward, putting his face only inches from Jack's. "You always do this." 

Jack's face flushed. He stared at David for a moment, then grabbed his collar and hauled him up so that they stood at the same height, and pressed their lips together. David let out a squeak, startled, and straightened up fully, breaking the kiss. Jack took a step backward, leaving David slack-jawed. "That's why I treat ya different from everyone else. 'Cause I don't wanna do that with any of them." 

David blinked, and took a step forward, grabbing Jack's jaw and kissing him forcefully. Jack wrapped his arms around Davey's torso, pulling him as close together as they could be. Davey heard cheering, and pulled away to see Race, Albert, Les, and all the newsies who remained at the circulation gate, all hollering and grinning. Davey looked back at Jack, beaming up at him, and kissed him again.


End file.
